Part II. History of Thomond
Chapter 13. History of Thomond before it was formed into an English county: From the Death of De Clare in 1318 to the Formation of Thomond into an English County in 1580

Teige-an-Chomhaid invades Limerick, and imposes a tax on the inhabitants; He dies at his castle on the lake of Inchiquin; Conor-na-srona defeats the Earl of Kildare at Ballyhickey

At this time, the power of the English in Ireland was very much weakened, owing to their contests at home in the Wars of the Roses, and the Irish chieftains, taking advantage of their adversaries’ strait, united with one another to drive them, if possible, out of the country. Teige-an-Chomhaid placed himself under O’Neill as an ally, ^[5] and he marched to South Munster to enforce payment of the tribute called the Duv-Cios, which his great grandfather, Mahon Moinmoy, had been the first to levy on the English settlers of Munster. His success was complete.

He plundered the west and south of Munster, and took possession of Clanwilliam and the whole county of Limerick, these having been made over to him by the Earl of Desmond as a condition of obtaining peace. Moreover, he imposed a yearly tribute of sixty marks, to be payable for ever, by the citizens of Limerick. It is hinted by MacFirbis, in his Annals, that the people of Leinster had a project for raising O’Brien, like his ancestor Boroimhe, to the throne of Ireland. It is also mentioned by him that never since the time of that monarch had such a host been seen as the one led by Teige to overrun the country south of the Shannon. From such statements as these, it may be inferred how weak was the power of England at that epoch. ^[6] Teige-an-Chomhaid died soon afterwards (1466), in the castle he had built on the margin of the lake of Inchiquin; its picturesque ruins yet remain as an object of attraction to the visitor. He was succeeded by his brother, Conor-na-Srona, (of the great nose), his own children being too young to take his place. On the subject of Conor-na-Srona’s actions, while he continued to govern Thomond, the annalists are almost silent. It is mentioned that he sent his nephews, Gilla Duv, and Murtagh Garv, to the aid of their relative, MacWilliam of Clanricard, when his territory was invaded by the other MacWilliams, and by O’Donnell of Tirconnell. He also co-operated with the Butlers against the FitzGeralds of Kildare. The Earl of Kildare, after his marriage with a niece of the King of England, returned from that country in 1496, and lost no time in coming to Thomond to punish the act of its king. Conor-na-Srona boldly met him, and in an action at Ballyhickey, near Quin, defeated his troops, and put him to flight. Conor then took possession of the stronghold of Fineen MacNamara, near the place of battle. This was the last of his actions, for he died in the same year (1496), after an unusually long reign of thirty years. ^[7]